Sunday, 13 January 2013

After spending a few weeks basking in the tropical sun being back in Balticus Horribilis is a bit like an Arctic Enema.

To think that only a few short days ago I was strolling along a stunning palm fringed beach with silky hot sand underfoot and throwing myself into the salty swell of the Andaman Sea when the mood took me.

Now I sit here in our freezing draught riddled flat feeling as if I've been dipped in dry-ice with rigid fingers and a cold wee nose.

I'm more convinced than ever that I want to emigrate to a country that doesn't do cold winters.

Thailand ticks all the boxes for me but I would like to learn to speak Thai first ;)

Even though Koh Lanta (the island that we went to) is virtually a Swedish tourist colony, I would still want to be able to speak Thai if I was to go and live there on a more permanent basis.

Once we've done our rescue diver qualification and clocked up another ten dives we can crack on with the PADI Divemaster course and once that is completed we will be able to seek employment with dive shops all around the world, I'm very excited!

2012 was a pivotal year for us and I am very hopeful that we will continue moving forward in a positive direction in 2013.

Mark & I have found a new life passion in scuba diving and all of a sudden the door of opportunity that seemed jammed shut before has swung open.

In one short year the scope has widened and more things seem possible and totally doable.

I promised more holiday pics in my last post and I wouldn't like to disappoint anyone ;)

I usually average around two hundred pics per day on holiday, mostly cause I like taking pictures of animals and they tend to move around a lot so you have to take a whole load of pics to get one that's good.

I have a Canon 1100D which is the Canon entry level DSLR camera.

All these pics were taken with the standard 18-55mm zoom lens that came with the original camera package cause I couldn't be bothered bringing my macro lens with me this time, you really need to mount the camera on a tripod to get the best picture quality with that lens and it's just too much stuff to cart half way around the world.

I'm not a photographer, I just love taking photos and with subjects like these anyone can make a half decent capture...

When we went to Langkawi two years ago I was desperate to catch a Great Hornbill but they were elusive to say the least, I did see one high up a tree in Kuah town but the cheeky begger flew off as soon as I pointed my lens at him. This time they were literally everywhere. Feasting on red berries in the trees around the resort. They were still a bit camera/people shy and would jump higher up in the trees as soon as they clocked you.

We stayed at Mutiara Burau Bay beach resort two years ago and absolutely fell in love with its stunning surroundings and outdoorsy vibe so we decided to go back there this time.

Monkeys & lizards just wandering around in the resort area and accessible jungle trails within walking distance...I mean what more can you possibly want?!

There was even a poolside lizard that would go for a swim every now and again.

The Macaque monkeys have a bit of a bad reputation on Langkawi, there are stories about tourist being "robbed" of their bags etc. It is of course because the tourists have been feeding the monkeys, who now equate tourists with getting food, so some of the macaques can get a bit aggressive if you don't bring on the buffet or will snatch things out of your hands if they think it's edible. I try to maintain a respectful distance to any animal and only ever move in close if I feel that I've established a certain connection with an individual.

The other type of monkey in Langkawi is the slightly more timid Dusky Leaf Monkey and we were lucky enough to get a visit by a troop with adorable babies...

Besides the daily encounters with monkeys we were treated to pretty rare chance meeting with an amazing Sunda Flying Lemur as well.

Whilst sitting on the beach loungers enjoying an early evening drink we spotted a Macaque climbing up the palm tree just behind us, seconds later a ruckus broke out at the top of the tree and what we thought to be a leaf came tumbling down onto my lounger only to rapidly propel itself onto the palm tree directly next to me.

I couldn't believe what I was seeing and I was gutted that I for once did not have my camera with me.

Thankfully Mark had brought his, so we got a few pics.

The poor thing must have been in shock cause it sat like frozen on the trunk for a good few minutes before continuing its skillful climb up to the top of the tree.

These animals are strictly arboreal (they are pretty hard to spot cause they like to hide away in the canopy) and they are also nocturnal so had it not been for Mr Macaque disturbing its peace we would have never have seen this amazing creature...

There are also loads of gorgeous cats and dogs lounging around everywhere both on Koh Lanta and in Langkawi.

I'm doing a separate post about our two visits to Lanta Animal Welfare mainly cause I think this brilliant organisation deserves a post all to itself but also cause I went a bit snap-happy those two days ;)

Here are a few non-LAW pics of Thai & Malay dogs and cats that I petted on my travels...

Gorgeous creatures!

My next post will probably be a random pics post.

We stayed in Bangkok when we arrived in Thailand and in Kuala Lumpur for a day before we flew back home so we managed to squeeze in a bit of capital culture too ;)

I will blog about "the near death experience" boat trip to Langkawi but we haven't started editing the video footage from that trip, so bear with me.
In the meantime here's a little clip of lizards that hubby put together:

Here's another little clip that hubby put together with footage from our two diving trips to Koh Ha, Hin Daeng and Hin Muang...

I was absolutely thrilled to see several moray eels but the highlight of our diving trips was definitely the manta ray, what an amazing creature.

Greetings and welcome to the Frocktasia blog.
Here you will find tales of my little adventures together with my hubby Mark, see a fabulous array of garments from my vast vintage & retro collection and feast your eyes on a plethora of pics. Scuba diving is my passion and the great outdoors my playground. I absolutely love frocks from past fashion eras and peddling vintage threads is my lovely livelihood. I am a soldier of the individual fashion army and I salute those who dare to be different. If you would like to know more about me then read my ‘About’ page or why not get in touch. Thanks for stopping by. With love, Jennie...xxx